Before You Hear It Elsewhere

[MikeAxsom]

Rather than wait for the information to filter in through the rumor mill, I want to let all the readers here know that Rangers at West Boggs cited an organizer for holding an unlicensed fishing contest on the lake on Saturday, June 21st. 2007. The contest was a club tournament held by a group from central Indiana, and was being held without having applied for or received a permit. The presence of the unlicensed tournament was reported by participants of another tournament being held that day; which was fully licensed and held proper permits.

Rangers were informed about the name of the club, and the organizer was determined by locating the club’s listing on the FLW Outdoors web site that lists The Bass Federation clubs for all the states. The listed contact person was matched to a vehicle at the ramp and Rangers then waited for the driver of that vehicle to show up. That person was then observed in the procedures of closing out the tournament with the other participants to verify that there was in fact an organized event rather than just an individual fishing outing.

The person that was cited for organizing the event was barred from the West Boggs Property for one year, and informed that his presence during that time will result in a charge of trespass. The club itself will not be allowed to participate in West Boggs tournament permitting for 2007 or 2008.

We hope readers will keep in mind that this is not an effort to curtail tournament fishing on West Boggs, as some anglers seem to think. This action resulted from a club organizer that knew about the permitting process, was informed about the rules, and the reasons for the rules. This person made the decision place his own interests above those of the other group that followed all the rules and was holding a permitted tournament that day. The legal group deserved better from their fellow anglers.

EDIT: Contrary to another rumor we are hearing this morning, a serious boating accident that happened at West Boggs on the same date as the unlicensed tournament above happened after both the licensed and the unlicensed tournaments were over. This incident is unrelated to any of the participants of those activates.

[idbefishing]

What happened? or you would rather not disclose the details of the wreck.

[MikeAxsom]

The accident involved two boats hitting head-on while running at near full speed. One was a fiberglass bass boat, and the other was an aluminum john boat that was rigged as a fishing boat. The smaller boat was running the wrong way as regards the lakes direction of travel regulation which requires boaters to travel the lake in a counter clockwise direction, keeping the near shore on the starboard side. This is intended to keep boats that are close together moving in the same direction.

In this case the smaller boat’s presence in the path of the larger boat caused the larger boat to turn to the right to try to avoid the collision, but then the smaller boat also tried to avoid the collision by turning left. The single occupant of the smaller boat was ejected from the craft on the resulting impact and suffered broken bones and various cuts and bruises, and was transported to the hospital for treatment. His boat was twisted from the front to the back. The larger boat also had a large hole in the hull, but neither of the two occupants of that craft was injured.

[idbefishing]

That's unfortunate, not too many people knows the rules of boating. I think they oughta have boater license just like driver license.

[Moose1am]

So if you miss the off ramp do you have to go all the way around the lake counter-clockwise to get back to the off ramp?

JK

Sorry to hear about this accident. I hope the people that got hurt recover ok.

I always thought that you stayed to your right ( Pilot's point of view) when passing another boat head on.

So you are saying that at West Bogs you are not allowed to go around the lake in a clockwise direction? Never heard of that before. But then again I have not been on Boggs with my boat before.

As we get more and more boats on our waters something will have to give. Having a driver's license and written testing may come sooner rather than later.

There have to be some rules that everyone knows to follow to maintain safe boating on smaller lakes that get overcrowded.

I have not been on a small lake on a weekend for a while. But ten years ago I went to Patoka a Lot in the middle of summer and on weekends. It was crazy back then and I imagine that it's not getting any better.

That's unfortunate, not too many people knows the rules of boating. I think they oughta have boater license just like driver license.

[MikeAxsom]

I always thought that you stayed to your right ( Pilot's point of view) when passing another boat head on.

So you are saying that at West Bogs you are not allowed to go around the lake in a clockwise direction? Never heard of that before. But then again I have not been on Boggs with my boat before.

The direction of travel we have is related to the U.S Cost Guard Rules of Navigation, in Rule 9 which discusses narrow channels. Here is a link to those rules for anyone who wants to know more and help teach others.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/rotr_online.htm

[idbefishing]

Port = left side
Starboard = right side

Rule 14

(a) Unless otherwise agreed [Inld] When two power-driven vessels are meeting on reciprocal or nearly reciprocal courses so as to involve risk of collision each shall alter her course to starboard so that each shall pass on the port side of the other.
(b) Such a situation shall be deemed to exist when a vessel sees the other ahead or nearly ahead and by night she could see the masthead lights of the other in a line or nearly in a line and/ [Intl] or both sidelights and by day she observes the corresponding aspect of the other vessel.

(c) When a vessel is in any doubt as to whether such a situation exists she shall assume that it does exist and act accordingly.

(d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this Rule, a power-driven vessel operating on the Great Lakes, Western Rivers, or waters specified by the Secretary, and proceeding downbound with a following current shall have the right-of-way over an upbound vessel, shall propose the manner of passage, and shall initiate the maneuvering signals prescribed by Rule 34(a)(i), as appropriate. [Inld]

Rule 15

When two power-driven vessels are crossing so as to involve risk of collision, the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel.